Decision Making Process
Our community uses a collaborative decision-making process designed to ensure all voices are heard while maintaining the ability to move forward effectively.
🎯 Decision-Making Principles
Transparency
- All major decisions are made in public forums
- Decision rationale is documented and accessible
- Community members have access to relevant information
Participation
- All community members can contribute to discussions
- Multiple channels available for input (Matrix, forums, meetings)
- Accommodations made for different participation styles and schedules
Consensus Building
- We strive for consensus whenever possible
- Dissenting views are acknowledged and addressed
- Compromise solutions are actively sought
Efficiency
- Clear timelines for decision-making processes
- Fallback mechanisms when consensus cannot be reached
- Regular progress updates to maintain momentum
📊 Types of Decisions
Administrative Decisions
Examples: User account issues, routine maintenance, basic policy clarifications
Process: Administrators can make these decisions independently with community notification
Timeline: Immediate to 48 hours
Community Standards Decisions
Examples: Code of conduct updates, content policies, moderation guidelines
Process: Community discussion → Consensus building → Implementation
Timeline: 1-2 weeks for discussion, 1 week for consensus
Platform Decisions
Examples: New service additions, infrastructure changes, significant policy changes
Process: Proposal → Extended discussion → Formal consensus or vote → Implementation
Timeline: 2-4 weeks depending on complexity
Constitutional Decisions
Examples: Governance structure changes, fundamental community principles
Process: Extended community discussion → Formal proposal → Extended consensus period → Implementation
Timeline: 4-8 weeks with multiple discussion phases
🔄 Standard Decision-Making Process
Phase 1: Proposal Submission (2-3 days)
- Community member submits proposal
- Initial review for clarity and completeness
- Proposal posted in designated governance channels
Proposal Requirements:
- Clear problem statement or opportunity
- Proposed solution with specific actions
- Expected impact on community
- Resource requirements (time, money, technical)
- Timeline for implementation
Phase 2: Community Discussion (7-14 days)
- Open discussion on Matrix #governance channel
- Forum thread for detailed written feedback
- Optional community meeting for real-time discussion
- Proposal amendments based on feedback
Discussion Guidelines:
- Stay focused on the proposal topic
- Provide constructive feedback and suggestions
- Acknowledge different perspectives respectfully
- Seek clarification rather than making assumptions
Phase 3: Consensus Building (3-7 days)
- Moderators facilitate consensus-building process
- Identify areas of agreement and disagreement
- Work toward compromise solutions where possible
- Document final proposal version
Consensus Indicators:
- ✅ Strong Support: Enthusiastic agreement from community
- ✅ Weak Support: Agreement with minor reservations
- ⚠️ Concerns: Specific issues that need addressing
- ❌ Strong Opposition: Fundamental disagreement with proposal
Phase 4: Final Decision (1-3 days)
- Determine if consensus has been reached
- If consensus: Move to implementation
- If no consensus: Consider voting or further discussion
Phase 5: Implementation (Varies)
- Create action plan with specific steps and timeline
- Assign responsibilities to community members or administrators
- Regular progress updates to community
- Evaluation after implementation
🗳️ Voting Procedures
When consensus cannot be reached, we may use formal voting:
When Voting is Used
- Consensus building has been attempted but failed
- Time-sensitive decisions requiring resolution
- Equal levels of support for different options
- Community requests formal vote
Voting Eligibility
- Active community members (participated in last 30 days)
- Account in good standing with no recent violations
- Participated in the discussion phase of the decision
Voting Methods
- Simple Majority: Standard decisions (>50% approval)
- Qualified Majority: Significant changes (>66% approval)
- Supermajority: Constitutional changes (>75% approval)
Voting Timeline
- Announcement: 3 days advance notice
- Voting Period: 5 days for standard votes, 7 days for major decisions
- Results: Announced within 24 hours of voting closure
📝 Documentation Requirements
For All Decisions
- Record of proposal and discussion
- Summary of key arguments and perspectives
- Final decision rationale
- Implementation plan and timeline
Decision Archive
All decisions are documented in:
- Meeting Minutes: For decisions made in meetings
- Forum Posts: For async decision-making processes
- Governance Log: Chronological record of all major decisions
⚠️ Emergency Procedures
For urgent issues requiring immediate action:
Emergency Criteria
- Platform security vulnerabilities
- Legal compliance requirements
- Imminent service disruption
- Community safety issues
Emergency Process
- Immediate Action: Administrators take necessary immediate steps
- Community Notification: Notify community within 24 hours
- Explanation: Provide detailed rationale for emergency action
- Review: Community review of emergency decision within 7 days
- Adjustment: Modify or reverse decision based on community input
🔄 Appeals and Review
Decision Appeals
Community members can appeal decisions by:
- Submitting appeal with new information or arguments
- Demonstrating procedural violations in decision-making
- Providing evidence of changed circumstances
Review Process
- Appeals reviewed by moderators and administrators
- Community discussion if appeal has merit
- Possible decision modification or reversal
📊 Decision-Making Tools
Communication Channels
- #governance Matrix channel for ongoing discussions
- Governance forum for detailed proposals and documentation
- Community meetings for real-time discussion and consensus building
Documentation Tools
- Proposal templates for consistent submission format
- Decision logs tracking all major community decisions
- Meeting minutes documenting synchronous discussions
Consensus Tools
- Temperature checks to gauge community sentiment
- Dot voting for prioritizing multiple options
- Fist-to-five for measuring consensus levels
🤝 Participating in Decision Making
As a Community Member
- Stay informed about ongoing decisions
- Participate constructively in discussions
- Provide feedback and suggestions
- Respect the final community decision
As a Moderator
- Facilitate discussions fairly and inclusively
- Help community members understand the process
- Ensure all voices are heard
- Document decisions thoroughly
As an Administrator
- Implement community decisions promptly
- Provide technical expertise for platform decisions
- Ensure transparency in administrative actions
- Support the democratic decision-making process
Our decision-making process is designed to balance thorough consideration with practical action. By participating actively and respectfully, we can make decisions that serve our community's best interests while maintaining the democratic values that guide our digital town square.